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Tom,
As a card carrying (truth be told, I lost my card sometime in the late 60's, but not my allegiance to his wit!) member of Hudson's Commandos, I feel somewhat slighted that "Emperor" Bob Hudson of KRLA was not even mentioned among D.J. "royalty." Sure KHJ and KRLA were rivals in L.A., much like KTKT and KIKX in Tucson back in the late 60's and early 70's. But preferring the wonderful KHJ crew is no reason to ignore his Emperor-ness.
That said, thanks for the memories. Yes, due to the hysteria of "Beatlemania" and shrieking, teary teeny-boppers who went for the celebrity-ness of it all and not to hear the music, I drifted to the Animals, the Kinks, and the Stones--more noteworthy in their day for their rebellious streak--the essence of rock--and social consciousness lyrics than the acceptance/bourgeois-conscious Beatles whose backers wanted to sell a wholesome image along with hit records.
Still, "it takes all kinds, etc."
Be well.

NarcoleptcSaxon, allow me to add a contra. The problem with our society is that, due to seriously embedded cultural delusions, we entirely misdirect shame to things not worth shaming. In case you have any doubts, shame can be used as a socio-psychological coercive force to impose serious cultural, political, and economic policies. And it's destroying us all (at least the "other" 99%).
For further illumination on this topic, I refer you to Jacques Ellul's classic, _Propaganda_.
Above all, Ms Baker remains a human being, trapped in the body of a female whose body evolution has endowed with a propensity to store any amount of sugar(s) and carbohydrates into reservoirs of adipose tissue (fat). Whether the typical male in 21st century western post-industrial culture can appreciate these simple facts beyond passing judgments of shame is for each individual to decide. Her body mass or size, either way is certainly not my business to judge... And isn't that the point of the piece? Didn't MLK remind us about "content of character?" Or is this cultural meme-phrase just more excess mental baggage to be trotted out every third Monday in January, one that leaves little trace in our consciousness once Tuesday arrives?
Be well.

Kentop, a big AMEN to your thoughts. Merely allow me to add, "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it." - Upton Sinclair.
First, last, ALWAYS: Follow the money (and here I was believing that Robert Towne put it in J.J. Gittes mouth in "Chinatown...").
Yep, all these "converts" to legal pot, I suspect, have either received lobbyist "funding" for their re-election campaigns or in the alternative they and relatives have acquired shares in said ventures.
A very normal suspicion to have in these times, eh, my friend?
Be well.

As a true believer in our Constitutional form of government, I live by the latin phrase, "Vox Populi, Vox Dei."
All political power derives from the voters, the citizens of this country. The Constitution, our national social contract, reflects this truism. Anyone who obstructs the will of the voters commits _treason_ against us all and betrays the principles enshrined in our Constitution. (Hence my contempt for the abominable _Citizens United_ decision--which _usurped_ the will of the flesh and blood majority in favor of corporate "persons.")
The republic was established to defend the Constitution. Why anyone would want to obstruct knowledge of the truth reflected in the ballot eludes me--unless they have committed, or intend to commit, electoral fraud. To me it smacks of treason.
Be well.

Must be a busy day in the Old Pueblo when the local gendarmes have little else to do but dragnet the streets for a semi-discreet micturatrix.
Did the footage show anyone within viewing distance?
If not, how can they make a case? "Disorderly" conduct is in relation (or relative) to the existing order. Since she did not perturb or disturb it, what's the crime? The camera--the sole witness-- was not offended, as the camera did not report her.
Had she pee'd inside the store, between the aisles of over-priced merchandise I can see the viability of the charge.
Ah, the equal justice and majesty of the law that bans both poor and rich alike from peeing against the walls of Circle K's. Corporate "Persons": 1, flesh and blood persons: 0...
Be well.

Talk about a disgusting violation of equal protection and a subsidy to Big Pharma (if not Big Alcohol)!
If and when I need to fill a run-of-the-mill prescription at my neighborhood drugstore I don't have to go running to the state for "permission" or pay the almighty state for a license. I just hand the doctor's scribblings to my local pharmacist, pay for the med, and walk out the door. Period.
The legal pretext that the state needs even more taxes/fees to fund the "regulation" of dispensaries sounds like so much common law legalism _designed_ to pass judicial review (the "rational basis" test). The state's need for some token fee may be true at an elementary level, but the near-prohibitive _premium_ to purchase these permits sure sounds like those in need are getting screwed by the closet prohibitionists in Phoenix who demand exorbitant fees for the "privilege" of accessing one's treatment drug of choice. I wonder how many of these crypto-prohibitionists receive electioneering funding from pro-Big Pharma, pro-Big Alcohol and Pro-Law Enforcement PAC's.
To quote J.J. Gittes, "Follow the money...."
Be well.